Masquerade
by iiMNOTOKAY
Summary: Korra always hated these stuck-up, snobby parties, and when a masked man offers her the chance to escape, she takes him up on his offer without a second thought. One shot.


Korra huffed. Parties had never really been her thing, and she had a feeling that they never really would. A night of glamour, luxuries, food, drinking and dancing just sounded truly boring and pointless to her. Shouldn't she be training? Practicing air bending? Or a million more important things? She would much rather be washing clothes or scrubbing floors rather than put up with this torture.

She looked good, no doubt, but the whole concept seemed rather dull to her. A big party thrown by the counsel to better relations with foreign or neighboring countries. Why – she wondered with a frown- did they decide to throw a masquerade? She couldn't even tell who was from where or if they were a bender or not. Was that the point? Korra groaned. It seemed so stupid to her.

Her usually covered up form had somehow been poured into a traditional looking silky blue dress, with a slit reaching her mid thigh. Korra did not like the slit, she did not like it one bit. Her tanned skin was exposed much more than she was comfortable with, and she was pretty sure Bolin and Mako had found it hilarious that she dreading putting it on. They said it looked great on her, and that she should just go with the flow. _Bullshit_, she thought, grinding her teeth. The tiny sequins and silver detailing on the dress reflected the sparkling chandeliers, as did her very blue eyes. Her mood reflected her outfit perfectly. Blue, blue, blue. When could she go back home and pass out with Naga? After checking a clock, she realized that the party had hardly started. Behind her white and silver mask she sighed heavily.

As per usual, the avatar felt a familiar set of eyes watching her from behind her head. Mako. She didn't understand _why_ he tried to hide his feelings from her so much, his attraction to her seemed so very obvious. He was always watching her, even if he wasn't quite consciously aware of it. Korra nearly always felt a pair of eyes burning into her back, and they always belonged to the tempered fire bender. She knew that Mako checked up on her constantly, even when she was sleeping. She had caught him outside of her room one night, and he blamed it on his troublesome sleepwalking. He swore that he wasn't lying, but she had her doubts. She could tell by the way he touched her, not very often, but always softly and carefully, as if she was a delicate piece of china given to him from his great great grandma. She knew. He knew. Korra just didn't understand why it was so damn hard for him to admit to it.

Korra turned to face the fire bender. She scoffed. He was still wearing that dumb scarf. She had to admit, even with a black and gold mask covering the majority of his handsome face, he was sexy. His rough, calloused hands were always so warm, even on the coolest of nights. She briefly wondered if he would try to make a move tonight. They made eye contact, and Mako awkwardly broke it.

_Idiot_, she thought. Korra looked around the massive dining hall. Was there anyone else of interest in the facility? She doubted it. She loved the people of Rupublic City, but most of the boys that tried to pick her up made her laugh. Korra didn't know whether she was too mature, too serious or too focused for the local hooligans, but the majority of them made her want to puke. Slimy, dirty, scummy and no good, that's how they all seemed to be. But, if they wanted to pay for the ungodly amount of food she ate on a dinner date, she wasn't going to refuse. She always liked food, and free food was no different. They just absolutely should not expect a call from her the next day, because she wasn't going to that day, or the next, or ever. She was mildly content with being single at the moment. Relationships got to be too complicated and time consuming for Korra. She hardly had time for herself, how was she supposed to find time for a whole other person? Korra braced herself as a tall man in a gold mask approached her with confidence. _Here we go_, she thought.

"May I ask you for this dance?" The man inquired, extending a large, masculine hand in Korra's general direction. Figuring why not, she grasped his hand firmly and followed him onto the dance floor. His hands make their way to her hips and Korra fought to keep herself from rolling her eyes. She cautiously placed her owns hands on his shoulders, staying somewhat stiff in his iron grip as they moved about the dance floor. The music was too damn slow and boring for her taste; where was the bass? A guitar? Drums? Anything?

"You look beautiful tonight." The man spoke, his facial features hidden beneath his mask. Did he know who she was? Or did he just think she was some random, lost girl all by her lonesome? Korra couldn't read his face, she didn't know where he was going with this.

"Thanks." She replied shortly. The avatar tried looking about the dance floor inconspicuously, trying not to offend the man she was dancing with. In reality, she was looking for someone, anyone, to get her out of this situation at the moment. Dancing was fun, but it was more fun when you could see the other person's face and she was wearing something that didn't almost show her goods to the entire dance floor. Korra longed to rip the dress off and replace it with some comfy sweatpants, maybe even a swimsuit so she could go for a quick dip later on. She was busy fantasizing about the water as her partner continued to talk and talk, until she was whipped back into reality.

"Do you want to?" The stranger asked her. _Fuck_, she thought, trying to remember what the hell he had been talking about.

"I'm sorry, what were you talking about?" Korra replied lamely. She mentally smacked herself in the forehead.

"Do you want to get out of here, I asked." He repeated. She could just barely make out a glint in his eyes, somewhere far away in the depths of space. Was he suggesting something? Korra did not feel comfortable in the least leaving with a random stranger. Granted, she was a powerful bender, but she had no clue what the man was capable of.

"Uh... uh..." She stuttered, trying to find something, anything, to say; she had to tell him no without coming off as being a pretentious bitch. But, realistically speaking, how could he expect some random chick to go home with him tonight, no questions asked? There was no way he could possibly know that she was the avatar, he would never pull that crap with her.

"Come on baby, I'll show you a good time." He whispered into her ear, shivers running down her spine. She was not comfortable with this at all, and it had to stop _now_.

"Listen you snot-nosed-" Korra was cut off as a man tapped on the stranger's shoulder. His mask was pure white with no designs or markings on it. It gleamed in the light like a bright beacon of hope.

"Mind if I cut in, sir?" The white masked man asked politely. Korra's dance partner groaned and let the man cut in. He shot Korra a look dirtier than one she had ever seen before. She heard him mumble 'bitch' under his breath before he walked away, making a bee-line for his next victim. Jack ass. Korra shot her new partner a grateful look, hoping he could somehow see it underneath her mask.

"I can't thank you enough for saving my ass right now." Korra began, hands resting on the masked man's shoulder, this time relaxed and loose. She felt at peace as he lightly placed his hands on her waist, moving to the music with grace and ease.

"Some people were never taught proper manners, I'm afraid." He replied. Korra imagined that he shot her some sort of a smile, and she did the same.

"I suppose so." The two danced silently as the music rolled on, exchanging polite comments every so often. Korra could feel Mako burning a hole into her back again. _Jealous_, she figured. The man noticed as she rolled her neck a few times, making small, annoyed noises.

"Are you okay?" He asked, nodded his head in the direction of Korra's neck. She smiled, a bit embarrassed.

"Yes, sorry. I don't exactly like these functions, they bore me to tears. I'd rather be doing... Other things, I guess." The man made no comment. Finally, he spoke up.

"Let's get a breathe of fresh air, then." He chuckled when Korra froze suddenly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to 'show you a good time' like the other man wanted to. Just some fresh air." Korra relaxed again and accepted his offer. The man grasped her hand in his and led her outside into the garden, the only light coming from the hall and the moon and stars above them. Korra slipped off her shoes and placed her feet into a nearby fountain, sitting on the ledge, back turned from the man.

"I'm sorry, I just really hate these functions." She spoke, patting the spot on the ledge next to her. The man sat down, slowly taking off his shoes. He placed his sock covered feet into the fountain next to her. Korra found this a bit odd, but decided not to ask any questions.

"It is certainly understandable." The man replied, looking up into the night sky. Korra followed suit. The sky was crystal clear; she could feel the energy radiating off of the moon's surface. Her bending would be so strong tonight, and she just wanted to splash around in the water as soon as she got home from this hell hole. She could feel her veins nearly popping with power. Against better judgement, she flicked around a few drops of water here and there, bending them for her companion's entertainment.

"You bend?" He asked with mild interest. He couldn't tell whether she was trying to show off or was just fooling around. Probably the latter.

"Uh... A bit." Korra replied. "Do you?" She turned towards the man. His head dropped a bit.

"No." He replied simply. Korra nodded and continued her assortment of tricks. The water flowed around and around in a circle, performing jumps and twirls in front of the two strangers eyes. Korra had a small yet very present smile on her face, and the masked man could practically feel her happy aura oozing from her pores. Korra sighed, dropping the water back into the fountain with ease.

"I want to go swimming." She declared suddenly, turning towards the man. "I can dry us off easily... Want to go in? Please?" Korra's eyes shined beneath her delicate mask. The man hesitated.

"In the fountain?" People had primarily used the fountain to toss coins in and make wishes; it couldn't have been more than two feet deep. Did the young woman really want to splash around in such a pathetic looking thing?

"Of course not! There's a lake nearby. Let's go!" Korra begged, getting up and reaching a hand in the man's direction. He froze, thinking for a few moments, when he ultimately decided _why not_ and took hold of the water bender's fingers. Korra nearly jumped in glee and led him further and further out of the garden, further and further away from the rest of the party and the light and safety of the world she was accustomed to. After trekking through small patches of woods here and there, the two stopped as they came across a large, sparkling lake. The moon was reflected perfectly on the surface, and you could count the stars in the sky by just gazing out onto the water. Korra sighed with relief.

She ripped off her dress, carefully, to reveal standard bindings covering her chest and lower body. Korra folded the soft dress with care, placing it gently on the ground. As much as she would like to run away back home, she knew she had to eventually go back to the party. People wanted to see her, or so she thought.

"You can't go in with all that heavy clothing on... Take it off!" Korra teased, diving into the water as the man looked at her from the shore. He seemed to sigh, removing his socks, pants and dress shirt. A tight undershirt and boxers remained, and the man caught Korra looking at him for a moment too long. Was she... staring? Oogling his body? He wasn't used to this kind of attention. He almost turned away to hide a slight blush, but realized the mask was already doing that job. The man slowly ascended into the water's depths, the water cooling every inch of his body. He looked over at Korra jumping through the water like a dolphin and had to stop himself from shaking his head.

"Can you swim?" Korra asked suddenly, pausing her jumping for a brief moment. The man hesitated yet again.

"Not well." Was his reply, as he stayed where his feet could reach the bottom. Korra's mask hid her thousand watt smile and she swam viciously over to the masked stranger.

"Hop on my back! I can take you for a ride!" She suggested, a bit too enthusiastic. She was patting her back, her eyes dancing behind the slits of her mask. The stranger seemed to sigh. Korra took that as a sign that he was good to go, and she grabbed his hand and brought him closer to her body. Her breath hitched for a moment as she realized that their masks were hardly a few inches away from each other. The man slowly straddled her back.

"This seems rather silly." He spoke, as she wrapped his arms around her strong, muscular shoulders. He was rather surprised at her impressive physique; muscular, lean with an amount of curves he definitely could not complain about. He could only imagine what she looked like without all the bindings and wrappings and-

"We should take off our masks!" Korra nearly yelled, pulling the stranger along with her at a comfortable pace.

"It's more fun if we keep an air of mystery." The man whispered. Korra pretended not to notice when his hands moved from her shoulders to her waist. _Maybe it's easier to hold on that way_, she figured. She wasn't going to call him out on such a seemingly innocent gesture. She also pretended not to notice his equally impressive physique; she couldn't see or feel an ounce of fat on the man, he seemed to be entirely lean, mean muscle. The undershirt he wore looked more like a second skin and less like a shirt. She noted how his boxers outlined a firm bum and wondered, for a moment, what else his clothing was hiding. Korra shook her thoughts from her mind and continued swimming.

"What is it like to bend?" It didn't come off as a question, the man almost spoke with a hint of malice and bad intentions. Did he seem... bitter? It sounded as if he was commented on a fraying hem or a misplaced hair. Korra had not heard this tone in his voice before.

"I couldn't imagine what it would be like without bending in my life. It's such a natural, good feeling. It helps calm me down. I can't even describe it, really." Korra replied lamely. She didn't want to offend him in any way, but it was the greatest feeling she had ever experience, thus far at least. The man splashed at the water.

"There are a lot of evil people with that power, unfortunately." He spoke. The two had stopped swimming and were floating towards the center of the lake, where the moon was reflected in the trembling surface.

"I know. I wish it wasn't that way, but it is. There are a lot of great people who can bend, though. People who can heal, or help with construction or other jobs. It helps a lot of people and saves a lot of lives."

"But destroys a lot of lives, as well."

"There's always going to be bad people in the world, with or without bending."

The two stopped talking, finally floating to the center of the lake. Korra noticed the burns hugging the man's shoulders, and she finally understood. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got hurt because of some asshole. But his logic was so skewed... She could bend. She could bend all of the elements, and she wasn't looking to hurt anyone or ruin anyone's life. There were a few bad apples in the bunch, but that didn't mean the entire basket was garbage.

"I wouldn't hurt you." She whispered, facing the man, legs and arms bobbing in the clear water. He looked down at the water, avoiding her what he could see of her eyes. Korra swam closer to the stranger, taking a gulp. She placed a hand on the man's burnt shoulder, the scar seeming to burn underneath her touch. The man tensed as he felt an odd sensation flowing from her fingertips. His shoulder felt so cool, and it tingled beneath her hand. It was something he had never felt before.

"I can heal you. Not entirely... But help some of the scar tissue return to a semi-normal state." Her other hand made its way to his other shoulder, the same odd sensation beginning. "Are you hiding more burns under your mask?" She crawled her fingers up to his ear, feeling the very edges, extending her own energy into his body.

"Yes." He replied shortly. Korra felt that she wasn't about to get an explanation out of the man. She continued her process as she felt his other ear, finally reaching his jaw line without disturbing his mask. Korra was surprised at how strong the build of his jaw was, and longed to see the rest of his facial structure, with or without burns.

"Let me help you." She whispered into his ear, trying to soothe the disgruntled man. She could tell that he was nervous and that he was internally fighting over whether or not to trust the girl.

"Only if we go in the woods, where it's dark. I don't... I don't want you to see my face." He decided. Korra was delighted and propelled the two back to the shore in an instant. She giddily led him into the woods, holding his hand all the way there. He shook his head as she nearly skipped in delight. She threw her mask back by her clothing and flashed him a magnificent smile. He couldn't help but turn the edges of his mouth up to follow suit. The two finally reached a reasonably dark spot, and Korra cornered the man against a tree.

"Ready?" She asked, hands on his mask. He swore he could see her smiling eyes radiating in the dark. He gave a small nod and she ripped the mask off and got to work. Her hands explored every inch of his face, glowing enough to make out some features of each other's face. Burnt or not, the man had a beautiful facial structure.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, trying hard not to move his face too much. It felt as if his face fell asleep on him, and he wasn't sure if this was quite normal or not.

"We're not all bad."

The man brought his hand to cover Korra's, giving a slight squeeze. "Thank you." He spoke, quietly. Korra could tell that he wasn't exactly for this, but he wasn't exactly against this, either.

"You saved me before. I owe you." She brought her free hand to his face once more. "It's not perfect, but it's a little better than before." The man noted how she kept her hand firmly on his jaw. He also noticed how she shivered against the cool wind blowing on her back. He swiftly switched positions with her, pushing her against the tree with a soft thud.

"Wha-" She began, disoriented. He had brought her hands over her head, and pinned them against the tree with one strong arm.

"Blocking you from the wind. And thanking you more properly." He leaned in, giving her a soft, slow kiss on her unexpecting lips. He was surprised when she didn't fight back, and even more surprised when she seemed to kiss back. Her hands snaked their way out of his hold and made their way around his shoulders, pulling the mysterious man in closer. He gave a grunt of approval. He licked her lips and she smiled in surprise. Korra stopped, pulling back.

"But... Who are you?" She tried squinting to make out his face in the dark. Korra attempted to produce a fire ball out of her hand, but the man gently batted it away.

"Not someone you would want to associate yourself with."

Korra looked on, confused, as the man made his way back to the pile of clothes near the shore of the lake. She followed him, lighting the way with a small fire floating from the palm of her hand. He dressed with his back facing her, ripping another hidden mask from the inside of his jacket, securing it quickly and efficiently. He turned. Her heart sunk.

"A...Amon?" Korra asked, unsure if her eyes were playing tricks on her. A smirk was painted on his mask, and she found it quite fitting. He stepped towards her. She stepped back.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Avatar. It's not your time. It may never be your time. Just remember, I owe you no favors any longer." He took a bow in her direction, and sprinted back towards the masquerade. Korra sat, feeling ultimately defeated.

She touched her lips, still warm from moments ago. Looking back in the direction of the party, she decided to enter the water once again. She floated on her back freely, making her way back to the center of the lake, with the full moon illuminating right above her. She sighed and let herself sink into the water's cool embrace.

_Fucking Amon_, she thought to herself, sinking deeper and deeper into the blue, indigo, and finally, black of the lake.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! This is my second Legend of Korra fan fiction, and if you were wondering, yes I do like crack pairings that will probably never happen in the real show. Alas.**

**I hope you enjoyed, PLEASE review, it will give me a good idea if I should continue writing these babies or if I should just stop altogether.**

**Thanks again, please review!**

**-iiMNOTOKAY**


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